Toddler Health Concerns

Getting sick is a part of life. Things like colds and flu happen to everyone at some point or another. Toddlers are especially prone to illness because their immune systems are still developing.

Still, when toddlers get a case of the sniffles, it can be easy to worry. There are some diseases that most children well get. For example, hand, foot and mouth disease is highly contagious, and classmates at the daycare center can easily spread it to one another. Luckily, it's typically a very mild virus.

Molluscum Contagiosum is another virus that affects many children, especially when they interact with other children. It, too, is fairly harmless.

Many illnesses that once affected many children have become much more rare since the introduction of vaccines. For example, cases of whooping cough have gone down over the past half-century, but infants can still be affected by the bacteria. Polio and measles are other examples of diseases that have largely been eradicated thank to vaccines, but that's not to say they don't still occur once in a while. It's a good idea to know what the symptoms are.

Some illnesses can affect a child once, but leave behind immunities that will protect them from contracting the disease again. For example, most people who get mumps won't experience the infection again.

Your little baby is growing up so fast and is now a toddler! Baby development and growth after a first birthday can often feel like it's progressing at lightning speed. Mom365 is here to help you through the toddler years too.